These are the candidates to be the Suns' next head coach

The Phoenix Suns say that Lindsey Hunter is still a candidate for the head coaching vacancy, but he has about a snowball's chance in hell of actually getting the job.

I'm sure at some point Hunter was promised an interview with the new general manager and that is why he is still a candidate. And I'm sure newly-hired GM Ryan McDonough was asked to keep an open mind about Hunter when he took the job. So at some point, McDonough and Hunter will actually meet and talk, and I don't expect the Suns' interim coach to be able to blow away the kid from Boston during the interview process. So with that being said, here are the four candidates who have a legitimate shot at being the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

1) Kelvin Sampson - The former college head coach at Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana is going to get a gig running a show in the NBA. He has NBA experience in recent years as an assistant in Milwaukee and San Antonio. He is a hot candidate, with Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Charlotte all interested in interviewing him.

2) Quin Snyder - The former Missouri head coach has resurrected his career by working his tail off. He has worked as an assistant with the 76ers, coached in the D-League with the Austin Toros, worked in Los Angeles with the Lakers as an assistant and in Russia with CSKA Moscow.

3) Brian Shaw - After 15 years as a player in the NBA, which included being a part of five championship teams, Shaw spent seven years as an assistant coach of the Lakers and has been with Indiana as an associate head coach since 2011.

4) Mike Budenholzer - The Arizona native played professionally in Europe. He has been a San Antonio Spurs assistant since 1996.